If things had gone differently
by BriannaTheStrange
Summary: What if things had gone a bit different on the day of Mor'du's attack? How would this effect the royal family, especially the little princess?


"F-Fergus, _I_ let this happen! I-I shouldn't of let her go off on her own in the woods by herself! She's only six, for goodness sakes! An' then I fall an-"

"Hush, darlin'. You did'nae know et wos gonna happen… Et's not your fault."

"But et_ is_! Don't you see?! Et wos _my_ carelessness that caused our daughter tae lose her-"

Merida moaned slightly and stirred under the white linens that gently covered her tiny body. Her vision was blurred for several moments, though she could make out the familiar shapes of her mother and father at her bedside. Well, it wasn't _her_ bed. She was somewhere different. Was it…the infirmary? She just remembered being at her birthday picnic with her parents. How did she get here? "Mum….. mummy?" she whispered quietly in soft, questioning voice. "Da….daddy?"

Instantly, a look of pure and total relief crossed her parent's faces. "Oh, Merida!" gasped Elinor, quickly kneeling down to her little girl's side. "Thank heavens you're alright!"

Her eyes now focused, the princess looked at her mother carefully. Her hair was mussed as if she had been running her hands through it in a worrisome manner and her eyes were red and looked like they had been sobbing not long before Merida woke. Her blue gaze then turned to her father—his eyes looked the same, though his clothes were covered in grass stains and small flecks of scarlet. A small look of confusion crossed the girl's tired face as she turned to her mother. "Why…" she murmured sleepily as she fought to wake herself up fully. "Why wouldn't I…be alright, mummy?"

Elinor's took in a sharp breath and put her hand to her mouth. Her mother's face contorted into a look of pure sorrow and regret that made Merida genuinely concerned, even for a six year old.

"Mummy?" asked the girl tiredly, using one of her tiny hands to try and reach up for the queen. "Why…are you crying?"

The queen's wide eyes flitted to Merida and looked at her in a state of disbelief before squeezing shut. Suddenly, her back heaved with crying gasps as she moved both of her elegant hands to cover her face. Her head bent downward and her shoulders shook with heart wrenching sobs. "M-Merida! Oh, my-darling!" she gasped through strangled cries. "Please…I….f-forgive me. P-please."

Merida was still somewhat dazed as her mother spoke, but she still felt horrible for making her mother cry. Why _did_ she make her cry? Why was her mother apologizing? The girl looked up at her father questioningly, but the look of remorse and guilt on his face did nothing but cause more questions to pop in her head.

Turning to her mother and opening her mouth to speak, a sudden wave of horrible pain went through her tiny body as she felt herself become more awake. She let out an awful wail and crumpled amongst the sheets. Grasping the linens in bunches in her tiny fists, she kicked her legs furiously at the sudden pain. However, her kicking didn't seem normal to her….because that's where the pain was coming from. Her leg. Her left leg, to be precise. Merida's eye's stretched wide with shock and pain before turning up to her parents. "W-why do I h-hurt so mu-much?" she gasped in a tiny, scared voice.

Elinor turned to Fergus like a bolt of lightning. Her face was stained with tears at this point, and Merida's question nearly sent her over the edge. Before his wife could begin sobbing, Fergus quickly came to her side and placed his hands gently on her shoulder. "Elinor," he cooed and fought to keep his voice level. "Shhhhh…"

"_Don't 'shhhhh' me, Fergus!_" the queen screamed in sheer turmoil. Her brows was furrowed, her teeth were clenched, and her lip quivered as she turned away and covered her face with her hands again. The king's eyes stretched wide with surprise at this outburst, but he said nothing. He just looked at his little girl with a sad, regretful gaze.

Merida, though her lower half stung with agonizing pain, fought to keep her cool. What on earth was happening?! Her mother was sobbing hysterically and her father was not himself at all. The girl's eyebrows knitted together as she looked from each parent. "Tell me wot's g-goin' on!" she demanded in a tiny yet determined voice. She received nothing but another sob from her mother and a guilty look from her father. Fed up and stinging with pain, she decided to take matters into her own hand. In a flash, she grasped her sheets and tore them off herself. Instantly, she saw what had caused her parents to behave in such a way, and what caused her pain.

Her left leg was gone—clean off at the knee. It was wrapped in a bundle of cloth and was now nothing more than a nub. Her parents gasped with horror. Obviously they did not want their daughter to find out so suddenly. Merida, however, said nothing. Her wide blue eyes stared with disbelief at her leg, or lack thereof. It stung with pain, but it was dulled by the thoughts running rampant in the little girl's mind. It then all came back to her:

She had run off to fetch her arrow she had launched into the woods. After retrieving it from the tree, she heard a noise deeper in the forest. Then, the wisps appeared in a mesmerizing trail that led the tiny princess out of the woods and back to the campground. She remembered her mother saying that her father didn't believe in magic, and that 'he should, cause it's true'. Then, a huge bear reared up beside them and let out a menacing roar that shook the grounds. Before she knew it, her mother—in her panic—had tripped and fallen backwards. Merida fell to the ground and stared up at the beast with horror-stricken eyes. She heard the terrible cries of her horror-stricken mother and father before the bear lunged forward towards her. Then there was the sharp pain like a thousand needles had been driven into her leg. That's when everything stopped.

Merida looked down at the bandaged stump and felt her wide eyes returning to their normal size. After a few more long moments of staring, she tilted her head up to her parents. "Alright," she murmured steadily. "I know wot's goin' on now."

Elinor's eyes, which previously were covered, turned up to Merida. Tears slid from them as she removed her hands from her face. Fergus came closer beside his wife and placed a single hand on her shoulder. "W-wot… D'ye mean, darlin'?" Fergus asked his daughter quietly.

"I mean… Now I know why you two were actin' so strange. Cause 'a this." She gazed at her the space where he tiny leg should have been as she recalled the crippling pain of having it severed off by the demon bear's jaws. The princess remembered three things: the absolute horror on her parent's faces at the time, the sudden crushing pain, and blacking out soon after. Nothing in between. Looking up again, she saw her parents staring at her with disbelief and rapt attention. They probably expected her to react in an entirely different way. Despair? Denial? No. Merida wouldn't let herself act like that.

Turning over to her father, she looked at him curiously. "Wot happened tae Mor'du?"

"He's gone, m'wee darlin'. Fled like a scared lamb. Don't you worry—I gave 'im a guid beatin' tae tell 'im wot fer." he assured with a wave of his free fist, which made Merida giggle quietly.

The princess then looked over at her mother, who was watching her with distraught and tearful eyes. Raising an eyebrow, Merida tilted her head slightly in confusion. "Mummy, why are you so sad?" she asked quietly.

Elinor didn't say anything for several moments, for she was preoccupied with staring at her daughter in misery. "Merida! You lost your_ leg_—an' et's because of _me_!" she cried, waving her hands about wildly. "I'm_ sad_ because my only daughter—my precious girl—is...is in so much pain…because of _me_…"

Merida blinked in surprise. At the same time, she fought to control herself from crumpling up due to the stinging pain in her leg. She had to be strong for her mother and father. "Wot's et matter if I lost my leg?" she questioned with a small shrug. "It does'nae make much difference."

Almost in hysterics, Elinor shouted, "Does'nae make a difference?! Merida, your leg is-"

"Gone. So wot?" asked Merida very matter-of-factly as she wiggled her toes freely on her remaining leg. "I still got one guid 'un."

Fergus smiled proudly down at his pride and joy, while the look on Elinor's face was nothing short of absolute bewilderment. "You're not…upset by this?" her mother asked in a voice that was barely above a whisper.

The girl looked up at her mother for a few moments longer before leveling her shoulders and taking in a soft breath. "I'm…I'm not upset. More surprised, I guess. I don't see why you're so sad about this. I mean…I'm alive, aren't I? We all are." A bright smile crossed her round face as she beamed up at her parents. "Sure, I'll 'ave some trouble gettin' around 'a first, but I'm positive I'll get used tae et in time."

Elinor blinked the remaining tears from her eyes. She was shocked. How could a girl so small act so bold in spite of what happened? Slowly, a smile crept onto the queen's face as she sniffed a sob away—not one of dismay, but one of admiration. Elinor then reached out a graceful hand and gently stroked her daughter's ginger curls. "My brave wee lassie," she murmured fondly as she bent forward and placed a tender kiss atop Merida's head. "I'm so proud of you,"

Merida smiled up at her mother kindly. "Thank you, mummy," she giggled, brightening even more as her father stooped down and pecked her cheek affectionately.

"_Our _brave we lassie, Elinor, _our_." the king corrected with a grin at his wife and child.

"Aye, _our_." laughed the queen gently before placing her hand gingerly by the bandaged stump of Merida's left leg. It seemed as if the woman was contemplating something for several moments before giving a brief nod. "You know wot? You're right. Loosin' this leg does'nae make a difference."

Merida blinked up at her mother in surprise. "Really, mummy?"

Elinor glanced sideways at Fergus before she smiled warmly down at her beloved daughter. "Really. Because et does'nae matter wot's on the outside, for I know you'll always be the same on the inside."

With both parents looking down at her with adoration and pride, Merida sniffed away a tiny sob. As much as her current position would allow, she reached up and made grabbing motions to the both of them. Gradually, both parents leaned forward and held their beloved princess in a gentle, loving embrace.

Sure, the road ahead would be rough for all of them, but that didn't matter…so long as they had each other.


End file.
